The Gifts
by Cabba
Summary: For once, she decided to buy something for Harry and Percy on Christmas. What she didn't know, was that the same thought had been running in their heads. Oops! (Companion story to the Pumki series)


**Ever heard of the 'Gift of the Magi'. It's a beautiful anecdote by O. Henry. Used to be one of my favourite bedtime stories!**

**Disclaimer : I don't own PJO and HP. They belong to RR and JKR. I don't have the rights to 'The Gift of the Magi', either.**

**Words – 1885**

* * *

What would seven year olds love as a Christmas gift?

Sally kept turning this question around in her head. It was a week until 25th of December. Both Harry and Percy were the permanent thoughts in her head along with their Christmas gifts.

That was the problem. Gabe had started to go all out on gambling and Sally had just realized that their savings were in dire conditions. She couldn't just go out and buy a gift for her sons. Home-made presents were something she wanted to avoid this year. She wanted to surprise them, but with her part-time jobs that were under-paying her, Christmas was going to be a dud.

And Percy wanted Santa Claus to get him some jet kind of toy. If she couldn't get that, he'd be so disappointed.

Sally knew that Harry was aware of the fact that there really was no Santa Claus. But the both of them had an unspoken agreement not to tell Percy just yet.

She sighed and brushed her hair all the way to the end. Once it was tangle-free, she opened her shelf to take out a scrunchie when she saw her silver necklace. It was a simple chain gifted by her sister, years ago. The sentimental value of the chain was the most precious fact about it.

"Ouch!" A sound was heard and Sally lifted her head of her pillow. She got up from her bed wondering what Percy was doing out of school. It wasn't time yet.

She went out her room and looked over the banister to see Percy hopping around holding his right foot which he must have bumped against the leg of the couch.

"Pepe? What are you doing here?" Sally asked from her spot on the first floor and Percy froze in his actions. He looked up with a guilty expression and said, "School let out early…?" It sounded more like a question.

She raised her eyebrows and went down the stairs. It was just past lunch time, but Percy's stomach growled.

"Um…"

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here at this time? Pumpkin, come out from under the table!"

She didn't need any super power to know Harry was hiding under the kitchen table. He emerged with a slightly guilty look on his face and went to stand next to Percy who was trying to stand still. It didn't help that he was hopping slightly.

"Hello, Mum." Harry said. She rolled her eyes, "Yes, hello to you too, but why are you here?"

Harry and Percy gave her blank expressions. Anyone else would have thought that they were confused as to what she was referring to. But Sally knew that they were trying to think their way out of this. She waited for them to come up with an excuse. Harry finally did.

"Coach Garns was surprised with Percy's abilities to perform the activities with ease and he spotted me helping the others pack the stuff, with experience. He let us out early."

Translation – Percy scared the Coach out of his wits by being able to run around the fields much too fast and thought that Harry (who had detention for knowing more than the Maths teacher) was acting much too strange around the stands. They were kicked out for the day.

"Oh." Sally said.

They stood for a while before Sally said, "I have some left-over pancakes. Help yourselves."

The boys ran into the kitchen and she made sure that they finished the lot.

"Did you tell anyone that you came back home?"

Harry nodded and swallowed his bite, "Yes."

Sally waited.

"Who did you tell?"

"Mrs. Lacie." Percy whispered. Then he giggled and shook his head as if he had said a joke.

"What's so funny?" Sally asked. Percy shook his head again. She reached out and started tickling him.

"Pepe! Tell your mother what's funny?!" She laughed as Percy tried to escape her fingers, laughing himself.

""He's thinking about her name. Her husband's name is Mr. Lacie." Harry filled in watching Percy trying to find his breath.

"It's a girl's name!" Percy gasped.

Sally smiled. "I knew a man whose name was Patrick Jane."

"Jane?" Percy asked fascinated. It was amazing how the simplest of topics could cheer him up.

"Yes. Some made fun of him, but he was really… a good friend." Sally tried not to frown. She shouldn't have brought him up. Patrick always had a way of worming into her heart and making a large hole in it.

"Cool." Percy grinned.

"Hmm." Harry shrugged.

Sally stared down at them. Their personalities were so different. And yet a blind person could feel their closeness. Sometimes, the way they behaved almost scared her. She had been thinking of taking them to a doctor because she could sense something wrong in their behaviours at times. Unfortunately, she couldn't just take a demigod and a not-quite demigod to a mortal doctor.

May be after the check up, she could bang him on the back of his head with something. Hopefully, he'd forget the encounter.

While Sally had been drifting into her thoughts, Harry leaned towards and whispered to Percy about an idea of a Christmas/birthday gift for her. Percy smiled happily and said, "Yeah!"

"Huh?" Sally blinked and looked down at them. They shrugged, "Nothing!"

She raised an eyebrow. Percy smiled guiltily and said, "We found this tiny spider with seven legs. So we've to find the eighth. Will you fix him up?"

Sally nodded slowly. She watched as Harry pulled a small wiggling black common spider from his jacket pocket. It was strange that neither child looked scared of it. They then got up and ran towards their room. Sally stared. She had definitely heard the word, '_wheels_', in their conversation before.

And just like that it, she got it. The perfect gift for the both of them! She could get new chains for their old bicycle that was lying around in their garage. Though she had said that they could sell it out, a replacement for the brakes, and a good bell too, could bring it back into workable condition.

Her heart deflated at the thought of how much it would cost. May be she could just get new chains…

She blinked and smiled again. Perfect!

* * *

Christmas morning, Sally woke up to the snores of her husband. She could smell the beer from last night's 'dinner' and groaned. Looking at the wall clock, she decided that sleep was enough and she put on her robe and stepped out to be immediately ambushed by Percy.

"Mommy! Come quickly! We have to show you something!" He pulled her down the stairs and she grinned. Though they had no Christmas tree, they put their gifts by the corner close to the fire-place.

Harry was on the ground, staring at the large gift-wrapped box Sally had kept, last night. She could almost see the gears turning in his head as he tried to figure out what she had bought them.

"We bought you something!" Percy said, excited at the prospect of having used money to get his mother a gift.

"Bought?" She asked. Harry nodded.

"Okay, but open my gift to you, first. I want to see your expressions." She sat down next to Harry and Percy sat on her lap, his grin close to breaking his face.

They opened it together (or rather Harry removed the tape and ribbon carefully while Percy ripped the cover off.)

Sally peeped into the box along with them to see the neatly arranged bicycle chains, the cycle bell, brake attachments, a new mini-basket and a whole pack of screws, nuts and bolts.

"Mum? What's this for?" Harry asked slowly. Sally leaned and ruffled his messy hair.

"We can start on re-fixing your cycle tomorrow. It might take a few hours, but I think the manual's in the attic. I know the both of you love that cycle!" She gave them a small hug and leaned back expecting to see Percy's elated expression and Harry's contented face.

Instead, they gave her looks of disbelief.

"You don't like it?" She asked confused. They had loved that bicycle. Percy was completely heartbroken after the brakes had stopped working and the chains had rusted.

"Mum. That would have been the best gift…" Harry started.

"Ever." Percy nodded.

"But?" Sally asked.

"But." Harry agreed.

"There's always a 'but'." Percy giggled.

"But, we sold the bike."

Sally blinked. Okay, she hadn't thought about a scenario like this.

"You sold it? Why? You loved that bike." Sally asked astonished. Okay, the surprise was really on her now.

"So that we could get you this!" Percy took a small package from underneath the cushion on the sofa and gave it to her. She looked at them for a second before opening it up. She gasped.

It was a beautiful pendant arranged in a velvet setting, its arms curved to hold three violet coloured stones. The gems sparkled in the light and she was pretty sure that they weren't fake.

"What…?"

"The lady at the store said that it was 'white gold'. See? It's for your chain that Aunt Kimberly gave you!" Percy exclaimed.

"How much did it cost?!" Sally blurted out. No way could two kids buy something like this!

"Mark Evans' parents liked the bike and they paid a lot for it. The pendant was on a discount at the jewelers store and the lady who works there is a friend of Mr. Dastel, you know? Our guitar teacher? She said you'd like this and Percy liked it too."

"It isn't blue, but it looked brilliant. Put it on!"

Oh dear. Sally stared at the pendant. "I can't."

"Mum, it's okay. We won't forget how to ride a cycle. But this is perfect for you." Harry said, trying to coax her into wearing it."

Sally shook her head, "I can't because, I sold my chain to by your gift."

There was a ten second silence followed by an, "Oh." From Percy.

"Oops." Sally said, giggling. Percy cracked a smile and Harry face-palmed.

"You sold your chain?!" Harry asked shaking his head. Sally leaned down and enveloped him in a hug. Percy joined in.

"I wanted to get something special this year for the both of you."

"Mum, your home-made food was always enough –"

"I wanted this Christmas to be different! Well, this changes things."

Percy looked a little sullen, "You sold Aunty Kimmy's chain?"

Sally smiled sadly, "Honey, your selection for the pendant is perfect. I'll try to buy back the chain one day. Okay?"

The three stayed quiet for some time, till Gabe's mutterings and swears could be heard.

"I'll take your box to the attic, shall I?" Sally said putting the pendant back into its little box vowing to never part with it.

Harry sighed and said, "Next Christmas, we're coordinating."

"Or we'll just leave it up to Santa!" Percy exclaimed.

Harry sighed, "Percy, Santa doesn't exist!"

"MOOOM! Harry's saying that Santa doesn't exit!"

"I said, 'exist'."

"What's 'exist'?"

"It means he isn't real."

"MOOOMMMYYYY!"

"MUM! Percy kicked me!"

Sally sighed. For some reason, she was sure that Harry'll never convince Percy about the truth.

_Well_, she thought as she heard Harry chasing Percy around the house, _they'll never change._

* * *

**I had started this fic months ago, but finished it just now. Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Stay tuned for the next update of 'The Memory'.**

**Cabba. **


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